ICD-10 transition will have as much impact as any in healthcare's history..... and that includes the changes included in the Patient Protection Act.

March, 2014 - The House of Representatives, made a last ditch effort to derail the ICD-10 transition. The Senate is expected to vote soon on their own bill. It could be months before a compromise is reached.

Healthcare leaders in hospitals, health systems and physician's groups need to have a plan to proceed in preparing for ICD-10. Regardless if the bill stays intact, or if it is delayed until 2015, providers must continue down the path of readiness.

Who are the real winners in the ICD-10 debate? Patients are supposed to be the big winners because the specificity of the new code sets will give a more accurate explanation of the patient's condition. Therefore, the new medical record will give other clinicians the ability to understand a patients detailed care history which will help in improving patient care.

The rest of the free world has been using ICD-10 for many years. Making the cataclysmic change in our healthcare clinical documentation system will be a huge burden on a healthcare system, which is currently in transition.

What will be the cost of delaying the implementation of ICD-10? It will cost billions regardless if the legislation is delayed or not.

Could the debate about ICD-10 help or hurt our healthcare system. Shouldn't our legislators have finalized their differences several years ago?

What affect will ICD-10 have on reimbursements? Providers must be ready to apply extra resources to mitigate the increase in insurance denials. The reimbursement process begins with the physician and transfers to a coding expert. A qualified coder then can accurately code the chart.

Using inaccurate codes during the ICD-10 implementation time and beyond will impede work-flow productivity. This quandary will affect coders ability to meet AHIMA productivity standards. Further, coders transiting to ICD-10 will require more over-site, therefor reducing coder output. Overall, these complex changes process and work flow will reduce coder productivity by approximately 30% to 50%.

How are you going to ensure your reimbursement process delivers the results you want when there is shortage of coders?

Never before has there been the need to contract with quality outsourced coding companies. The benefit of working with a company who follows a blended shore outsourcing model will give the provider more control of the coding process.

With the onset of ICD-10, healthcare executives must create strategies that give them options. Many providers have one or two outside coding vendors positioned to work coding charts in-case their coding productivity dips lower that was projected.

Expense pressure and reductions of staff will lead providers to migrate their coding staff offshore and experience a significant reduction of cost to code charts.

How can you be so confident about your ICD-10 transition plan if you don't know what you don't know? It's better to be over-prepared than caught off guard. Increases in DNFB days and coding inaccuracies will slow reimbursements causing major cash flow problems.

Looking forward and preparing for the unexpected is the only way to avoid getting caught from behind.

Yes, outsourcing should be a leading strategy for meeting the demands of ICD-10, now and in the future. Providers who never contemplated using an offshore approach are now considering partnering with a quality and well established outsourcer. ICD-10 has been the catalyst for moving coding business offshore.

Look for American owned outsourcing businesses. They are able to control quality production and give better client service from a US based office.

A civilized society cannot flourish without quality healthcare services. The ICD-10 transition will test our economic system just as our economy is showing signs of a light recovery. Will physician's survive if they have to take a 24% haircut from Medicare reimbursements?

Will hospitals be able to stay financially solvent with the current expense reduction pressures as well as meeting the demands of ICD-10. Some experts are calling the ICD-10 transition the largest change in healthcare history. At the end of the day, what affects will the recent legislative laws have on our quality of life, financial stability and the quality care our citizens deserve?